Survey shows top causes of death for Taipei cats

By Mo Yan-chih / Staff reporter

Wed, Jan 30, 2013 - Page 3

A survey by the Taipei City Animal Protection Office found that kidney failure, infectious diseases and multiple organ failure were the top three causes of pet cats’ deaths in Taipei last year.

The survey, conducted by the school of veterinary medicine at National Taiwan University, also showed that the death rate of pet cats between the ages of four and eight years is the highest, at about 22.6 percent of all feline deaths, followed by deaths of cats between the ages of eight and 12, which is about 20.9 percent of all cat deaths.

The data had been gathered from 108 veterinary hospitals, involving a total of 301 cases.

A closer look at the survey results showed that more than 25 percent of pet cats died from kidney failure, 13.6 percent from infectious diseases and 12 percent from multiple organ failure.

Cancer, cardiovascular disease and digestive system disease are also among the top 10 causes of pet cats’ deaths.

Taipei City Animal Protection Office director Yen I-feng (嚴一峰) said Taipei had the highest population of pets in the country, with about 120,000 dogs and 80,000 cats.

The survey also found that more than 50 percent of pet cats were neutered, which showed that cat owners in Taipei took good care of their pets, he said.

Data on the causes of deaths for pet dogs last year was also released yesterday. The survey found that cancer, cardiovascular disease and multiple organ failure were the three top causes of death among pet dogs in Taipei.

A comprehensive study on the causes of deaths for pet dogs was done last year and Yen said that this year’s survey therefore focused on pet cats.

Yen urged animal owners to take their pets for regular physical checkups.

In the case of pet cats, owners should pay close attention to where kittens come from when they buy or adopt them, as they are highly vulnerable to infectious diseases.